a new life in the big city
TRANSCRIPT
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Suggested levels for Guided Reading, DRA,Lexile, and Reading Recovery are providedin the Pearson Scott Foresman Leveling Guide.
GenreComprehension
Skills and Strategy
Realistic
fiction
Generalize
Cause and Effect
Generate Questions
ISBN 0-328-13679-4
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Vocabulary
burden
conformed
leisure
maintenance
rural
sufficient
urban
Word count: 2,761
Note: The total word count includes words in the running text and headings only.Numerals and words in chapter titles, captions, labels, diagrams, charts, graphs,sidebars, and extra features are not included.
Editorial Offices: Glenview, Illinois Parsippany, New Jersey New York, New YorkSales Offices: Needham, Massachusetts Duluth, Georgia Glenview, Illinois
Coppell, Texas Ontario, California Mesa, Arizona
by Guy Wakemoreillustrated by Ron Mahoney
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ISBN: 0-328-13679-4
Copyright Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved. Printed in China. This publication is protected by Copyright,and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibitedreproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form by anymeans, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. For information
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4 5 6 7 8 9 10 V0H3 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 063
Even as a child, Bill Straw dreamed of the huge cities
of the North. He dreamed of the fine houses, trolley cars,
and bright city lights.
Bill was born in 1908, in a small Georgia town
called Appleseed, and like most of the surrounding
communities, Appleseed was a rural community.
So, like most Appleseed residents, the Straws were
farmers. They toiled in the fields every day, doing theirbest to raise crops on a small plot of land. They rented
the land from a local property owner, but they never
made much money. In fact, they barely made enough to
survive.
The Straw family raised corn on the land, mostly. They
had some peach trees and a vegetable garden, while
they also cared for a few hogs, chickens, and goats. Their
prize possession, however, was an aging dairy cow named
Betsy Ross.
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As a child, Bill spent half a day in school and the other
half working on his parents farm. His parents would
have preferred that Bill go to school for the entire day,
but they needed his help on the farm.
Reginald and Amelia Straw worked from sunrise to
sunset, tending the crops and caring for their livestock.
Yet something always came up that they didnt have time
forfarm maintenance, usually. A wheel needed to befixed on the plow, or a sick goat had to be cared for, or
a new irrigation ditch had to be dug. Bill usually took
care of these tasks. There wasnt much time in the day for
leisure activities.
He didnt mind, really. Sure, Bill liked school. He was
smart and relished most challenges. He loved figuring out
math problems and studying ancient history. He also liked
working on his parents farm. It made him feel strong
and grown-up.
He especially liked taking care of the farm animals. He
had named each of them after a famous historical figure.
5
He had named their three hogs after his three favorite
presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and
Abraham Lincoln. Hed named the two goats Napoleon
and Josephine. He called their old, good-natured plow-
horse Sir Thomas More.
Bills parents were amused by the names he chose.
I declare, Reginald once told his wife, weve got the
most educated livestock in the whole of the South.Although he liked farm life, Bill often daydreamed
about bigger and better things. He dreamed about life in
the big cities up North.
Bill had never been to a big city, but hed heard stories
about city life, and hed read about it in books such as
David Copperfield, which was set in England. That book
made the city of London seem frightening and exciting
at the same time. Bill figured there probably wasnt
much difference between English and American cities.
Everything hed ever heard about big cities made Bill
yearn to live in one.
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In the city, trolley cars ferried you all around the city!
Powerful trains came from and went to other parts of
the country! Buildings were so tall you could lean out the
window and get lost in the clouds!
At least thats how Bill imagined it. Hed never seen a
tall building. The closest hed come was when his father
took him to the roof of their local church to repair the
chimney, but the church was only two stories high.In the cities, however, some of the buildings were
hundreds of feet tall! Anyway, thats what Bill had
heardand he believed it.
So Bill was very excited to learn, one day in early 1918,
that his family was planning to move to perhaps the
greatest of all cities, New York City.
His parents didnt share his delight. They didnt
consider cities to be glamorous or exciting. By 1918,
however, life in Appleseed was becoming increasingly
difficult.
Several seasons of drought had hurt the Straw familys
crops. Even worse, many of their farm animals had
caught some odd strain of the flu and were now either ill
or dying.
The Straws might have overcome these burdens, but
it almost didnt matter anymore. Reginald Straw was fed
up with what he felt was unfair compensation for his
work. He was tired of being a sharecropper, renting land
from a white landowner. In exchange for all his work, he
received only a small portion of the crops he brought in.
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Where would we go? asked Amelia. She had never
been farther from home than Bradley, which was only
three towns away.
Thinking bout New York, Reginald answered.
New York? said Amelia, stunned, as if he had said
Mars.
Theres a place called Harlem up there. Lots of
people just like us. Black faces, good hearts. Peoplewhod treat us right, Reginald said.
I dont know, Reggie, said Amelia. Questions
overwhelmed her. How would they get there? Could they
find a place to live? How would Reggie make a living?
Would they be able to find a school for Bill? I have so
many concerns about it.
Of course you do, Amelia, said Reginald, with a
smile. Its only natural. But were gonna sit down and
talk about it. Work out the details.
You really think it could work out? asked Amelia,
uncertainly.
I think its our only choice, said Reginald
thoughtfully. Lots of folks like us are moving north
now. More every day. They say there are plenty of
opportunities up there. Its the only way to go.
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You mean it, Daddy? Bill asked over and over.
Were going to New York?
Reginald smiled at his sons enthusiasm at the news.
Thats right, Bill.
Im gonna live in a city! Bill shouted.
Not just any city, Reginald added, proudly.
Greatest city in the whole country. Maybe the entire
worldNew York City!Soon, the familys long journey to New York began.
They had to stop in many small towns along the way. In
each town, Reginald would find temporary work as a
laborer or a farm hand. Amelia made a little extra money
by mending dresses.
After the Straws had earned a few dollars, theyd
move on again. And so it went.
Arent we ever gonna get to New York City? Bill
asked his father one day.
Of course we are, said Reginald. But in all honesty,
he wasnt sure. New York City was beginning to seem like
someplace out of a fairy tale, a distant, unreachable goal.
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But the Straws were persistent. And after what felt
like years (but was really only a few months), they arrived
in New York City.
The borough of Manhattan was even more dazzling
than Bill had imagined. Such tall buildings! Paved roads
leading everywhere, and wide sidewalks to walk upon!
Bill had never seen so many shops before, either.
Theres so much to do, he told his parents. How dopeople find enough time to do it all?
His parents shrugged. They werent thinking about
New York Citys attractions right now. They were thinking
about more basic concerns: how to find an apartment,
how to find work, and how to find a new school for their
intelligent, talented son. These concerns needed to be
addressed immediately, or the Straw family would be
sleeping on the streetscold, hungry, and miserable.
First things first, said Reginald. Gotta find a place
to stay. And so, the family trudged uptown to Harlem,
where they searched block after block, looking for a
vacancy.
Eventually, they found a small apartment on the third
floor of a walk-up building on 129th Street. It wasnt
much to look at. The wallpaper was stained and peeling.
The plumbing clanked, and the aroma of simmering
cabbage filled the halls.
The apartment did have one thing going for it: It was
cheap. In fact, Reginald was able to pay the first two
months rent outright with money hed saved during the
long trek from Georgia. At least they now had a roofover their heads. That was a major relief.
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So, he told his wife and son at the dinner table, that
evening, weve got a place.
What now, Daddy? Bill asked him.
Next step, Reginald replied, is for me to find some
work, and thats exactly what Im gonna do. Tomorrow,
bright and early, Im gonna go out and find a job.
Reginald was as good as his word.
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When he returned to the apartment the following
evening, he brought two things with him. The first was
a bag of groceries. The second was a welcome piece of
news: Hed found a job.
Reginald had been hired by a large, prominent
furniture warehouse located downtown. The owners
needed a new night watchman and had decided that
Reginalds qualifications fit the bill just fine.
It isnt fancy work, he told his wife and son. But its
a good, honest job. They gave me a uniform, a cap, even
a flashlight.
Do you get a gun, Daddy? asked Bill, excited.
Reginald just laughed. No, son, he said, chuckling.
No gun. But I do have a whistle. Wear it on a string
around my neck. If I see anything suspicious, Im
supposed to blow on it, real loud.
Sounds like a good job, Daddy, said Bill.
Pays good too, Reginald grinned. Problem is, its
a night job. Go to work at 11 at night and wont come
home until 9 in the morning.
Thats a long shift! said Amelia.
Its what I have to do, said Reginald, sounding
almost apologetic.
But when will I get to see you? Bill asked. When
can we play catch and stuff like that?
Oh, therell be time to do all that, said Reginald,
hastily. Im never going to allow a job to prevent me
from spending time with my wife and son. . . . Well do
those things on the weekends.
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How bout me, Reggie? Amelia asked quietly.
Should I be looking for work too?
No, said Reginald. A night watchman makes
good money here, Melia. More money than I ever made
before, in fact. Sufficient for our needs.
I dont know. Maybe I should find myself a job, said
Amelia.
Dont you worry about that, honey. Keeping house
is work enough. Fact is, Bill needs one parent around
during the week, doesnt he?
Okay then, said Amelia, smiling.
Good, said Reginald, with a wide smile. Now lets
have some dinner. Im starving!
The next step was to find a school for Bill. The
neighbor across the hall, George Green, had a son who
was the same age as Bill.
Sam goes to P.S. 112, George explained to Reginald
and Amelia, the next afternoon. P.S. stands for Public
School, you understand?
Sure, sure, said Reginald, nodding.
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Its a good school, right here in Harlem, George
explained. Not like the ones I went to when I was a boy.
Whered you grow up? asked Reginald.
Way down South, said George, with a smile. Little
town called Sunshine, Florida.
Ive heard of it! said Reginald, grinning. Near the
town of Lime Grove?
Not five miles away! said George, slapping his knee.
How do you know Lime Grove?
The two men spent the next hour remembering their
youth in the rural South, swapping tales of friends and
relations.
Anyway, George said later, Sams in the fifth grade.
Your boys about the same level, most likely. Tomorrow,
Amelia should go to the district office and register him,
so he can get started.
Thats wonderful, said Reginald. I know Bill cant
wait to go back to school.
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Bill was eager to go back to school. P.S. 112 was
different, however, from any school that he had ever
seen before.
In Georgia, he had gone to a one-room schoolhouse
near his parents farm. The new urban school in no way
conformed to his idea of what a school should look like.
It was enormousan imposing red brick building
that looked like a palace. Not only that, but there were
so many students! So many faces and bodies pushing
through the halls, everybody talking and laughing and
shouting at once.
Im scared, he told his mother on the first day of
classes. What if I get lost?
Just find a grown-up, said Amelia. And tell him
or her that youre new in school and youre lost. Im
sure any teacher will be happy to help a lost boy find his
way.
Okay, said Bill quietly. He couldnt remember the
last time hed felt so afraid.
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Everything worked out just fine, however, thanks
to Sam Green. A hefty, good-natured boy, Sam took an
instant liking to Bill. Sam showed Bill how to find his way
around the massive school building.
Gee, thanks, Bill told Sam at the end of the first
week. I couldnt have navigated my way through this
first week without you.
That was nothing, said Sam, with a grin. New boy
needs to learn how to get around.
Still, I appreciate it, said Bill.
Hey, thats what friends are for, said Sam.
Bill adjusted to his new school quickly. It was more
difficult, however, to adjust to the fact that he rarely saw
his father.
Reginald worked long hours at the warehouse. When
he got home in the morning, he would climb wordlessly
into bed. After school, Bill had to be quiet because his
father was still sleeping.
Bill and his dad had always been close. Back in
Appleseed, theyd talked and worked together in the
fields. In the evenings, they had even played games
together. It was difficult getting used to this new setup.
Bill found he missed his fathera lot.
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I miss spending time with Daddy, Bill confided to
his mother one evening. They had just finished eating
dinner. Amelia was washing the dishes, and Bill was
doing his arithmetic homework. Reginald had left early
that evening to run a few errands before his shift began.
Amelia gave her son a reassuring hug. I know how
you feel, honey, she said. I miss your Daddy too, and I
know he misses us. But you have to understand. Its tough
to find work, especially for a black man. Your father is
responsible. He makes sure we get food on the table and
a place to live. He wants to make sure that you can go to
school and grow up and become something other than a
night watchman. You understand, honey?
I understand, said Bill, quietly. But he still missed his
father.
Its tough for me too, Bill, his father told him
one Sunday while they were playing catch at a small
neighborhood park. Working all night. Never getting
time with my family. The baseball sailed back and forth
between them. Someday, Ill get a better job, Reginald
promised.
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But Reginald never did find a better job. The years
passed. He grew used to working at night. He was well
liked among his co-workers. He gained seniority and
got a raise. Amelia went to work too. She learned to
type and got a job in an office. She enjoyed her new
independence.
Meanwhile, Bill grew up. He graduated from high
school and went on to college! Then came the day when
Bill received his law degree. His parents were so proud.
Their years of struggle and sacrifice had not been in vain.
One day, many years later, in 1948, Bill Straw
returned to the old apartment on 129th Street. It was
Thanksgiving, and he had come to visit his parents.
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Bill lived in upstate New York now, where he had his
own law practice. He didnt see his parents often, so he
was looking forward to a wonderful reunion. His parents
were much older, but they still looked beautiful to Bill.
He hugged and kissed them both as he entered.
Bill! his father said, delighted to see him. My son,
the lawyer! Come in, come in!
They sat him down at the kitchen table, where they
all ate wellroast turkey, savory stuffing (Georgia-style),
and tart cranberry sauce.
Delicious! said Bill. The best Thanksgiving dinner
ever!
After dinner, the lighthearted conversation turned a
little more serious.
Bill, Reginald said, clasping his sons hand. I always
tried to be a good father. But often, Reginald continued
sadly, I feel like I failed you. Working nights, always
away, never around. . . .
Bill shook his head dismissively. Not true, Dad, he
said. I know you missed Mom and me. But you worked
at that job, night after night, because you wanted a
better life for us. You sacrificed so much for us. And I love
you for that, Dad.
Reginald blinked away tears of joy. It seemed he
hadnt failed his son, after all.
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The Great Migration
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In this story, the Straw family leaves the farm in
Georgia and moves to New York in 1918.
Many African Americans who lived in the South
moved to urban centers in the North in the early years of
the twentieth century. This movement became known asthe Great Migration.
One of the key reasons for the Great Migration was
jobs. During World War I, many men left the country to
fight in Europe. This led to a shortage of manpower in
the industrial North.
Northern factories needed workers. As a result,
African American men could fill these job openings. They
could make a better living working in the factories, than
they had been able to on
farms in the rural South.There were other
reasons for African
Americans to leave the
South, including crop
failures and lack of
opportunities. Many
parents moved their
families so that their
children would have better
chances in life than theyhad experienced.
In all, more than
500,000 African Americans
moved North during the Great Migration. People
continued to move North after the end of the war too.
Most historians say the Great Migration lasted from 1916
to 1929.
Reader Response
1. Why did many African American families like the Strawsleave their farms and move to cities in the North in theearly twentieth century?
2. Imagine you are a reporter working for a New York City
newspaper in 1918. What questions would you ask BillStraw about his familys move to New York City? List yourquestions on a chart like the one below. Write answers tothe questions based on the information given in this story.
Questions Answers
3. Some words have more than one meaning. Write twomeanings for the words burden, rent, and ditch.
4. Would you want your family to move to a new place forbetter opportunities? Explain your answer.